A Bengaluru resident recently discovered a live worm in a meal ordered from FreshMenu, a popular cloud kitchen that promotes healthy meals on food delivery platforms. The incident, captured in a now-viral video, shows the customer inspecting three boxes he ordered via Zomato. Upon finding a worm in one of the boxes, the customer chose not to open the other boxes and requested Zomato to investigate the matter. 

FreshMenu called it a “manual error,” and assured the customer of disciplinary action against those responsible.

But who is responsible? In Bengaluru, where cloud kitchens mushroomed during the pandemic, the lack of regulation and oversight has become a serious problem. Customers are left wondering: Who’s making my food? Is it being prepared in a clean environment? If something goes wrong, who is accountable? 

Cloud kitchens, also known as ghost or dark kitchens, are unlike conventional food establishments like restaurants. They do not receive customers, are cheap to run, don’t need a physical dining space, and rely entirely on food delivery apps like Swiggy and Zomato. While they have made ordering food more convenient, there is growing unease over the safety and hygiene of these kitchens.

To understand the reality of cloud kitchens, TNM visited four such establishments in Bengaluru and spoke to multiple delivery partners, food safety experts, and officials. What we found was deeply concerning. 

At one location on BEL road, food was prepared next to an uncovered waste bin, and staff wore no gloves or hairnets, creating a high risk of contamination. In a kitchen near Yelahanka, staff handled raw food, including meat, with bare hands in a poorly maintained environment, violating basic food safety norms. 

Another disturbing discovery was made in a cloud kitchen operating out of an under-construction building in BTM Layout. Construction debris was scattered around, and momos and noodles were being prepared in the middle of dust and rubble.

In JP Nagar, a cramped and poorly ventilated kitchen had no clear separation between raw ingredients and cooked food. Storage was a mess, and dishes were being prepared without basic hygiene measures in place.

While TNM was unable to visit more kitchens due to access restrictions, we spoke to several delivery partners who shared their firsthand experiences. Almost 10 delivery partners told us they had not observed any unhygienic kitchens. But one delivery partner who did not wish to be named revealed that cloud kitchens typically do not allow delivery partners inside the kitchen area. “Most places have transparent curtains at the entrance. Once you pass them, you can see the entire kitchen, but you’re not supposed to enter it. Once, when I was allowed inside, I saw construction workers walking around in gumboots in the kitchen area, right where the food was being prepared,” he said

Another delivery partner in JP Nagar, who also wished to remain anonymous, said that he felt compelled to warn customers when kitchens were very unclean. 

“I know it’s not my place to do so. I tell them something along the lines of, ‘You might want to reconsider ordering from here again’. It’s not ideal, but I can’t just let them eat without knowing what they are having,” he said.

That, however, is not the approach followed by another delivery partner, who wrote a Reddit post in November describing the unhygienic conditions in cloud kitchens, especially FreshMenu. Admitting that he rarely warned customers about the conditions of the kitchens, he said, “I don’t tell people to stop ordering because they have already ordered it, and I don’t want them to go hungry. But at least I posted it online, hoping people will be more aware.”